Baseball, the Australian Way
The Spirit of Australian Baseball is founded inescapably in respect:
For the game
For your coaches
For your team-mates
For your opposition
For yourself
For umpires and administrators
For those who have gone before you and those who will come after
Baseball is a game which appears very simple on the surface, yet is very complex and very difficult.
Anyone who begins to think they have the game mastered, that they are somehow bigger than the game, is very close to a major shock.
It has been played professionally for over 150 years, and has certain traditions which must be respected. In Australia, we respect these traditions and strive always to play the game right.
We play hard – to do any less is an insult to all concerned.
We play with aggression, refusing to be intimidated and doing our utmost to execute as the situation requires. No individual lets his or her ego get in the way of doing the right thing, on the field or off it.
We always hustle: into position, between innings and between pitches, when running the bases, when running an errand.
We keep the game moving, so that those watching and those playing can truly experience the excitement that baseball can generate.
Individuals are accountable for improving themselves in baseball. Each works to become physically more able, to improve technique, to master the numerous mental challenges the game holds, and to maintain their spirit despite the inevitable failures that the game will arrange.
With regard to coaches and umpires, we remain mindful that it is their position as much, or more than, the individual in that position that must be respected. Evidence of dissent, whether verbal or non-verbal, contradicts this philosophy, so we make an effort to know the rules, to communicate appropriately and find a way to work cooperatively.
